#if i'd done the more straightforward 'books about hope' interpretation

[fictionadventurer]

Hope

Here is a stack of books that I hope to read within the next couple of months.

Books in the stack:

The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien: I've got 83 pages left of last year's reread and I've got to quit being dumb and just finish it already.

What It Means to Be a Christian by Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger: A collection of three sermons by the future Pope Benedict XVI. It is short and should fulfill my goal of finally reading some of his writings.

The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart: The only book of the series I've never read, though I've wanted to ever since seeing the miniseries. I stumbled on this copy at a library sale and gave it to myself for Christmas, so I'd like to read it soon, but it may wind up getting pushed back to May/June.

A Jane Austen Christmas by Maria Grace: Short nonfiction about Regency Christmas traditions I found just before Christmas. I had wanted to read it during the Christmas season and didn't quite get to it, but there's still a bit of time, and it shouldn't take me more than an hour or two.

A Year in Provence by Peter Mayle: January is for travel books, and this will fit the bill nicely.

Selected Poems of Emily Dickinson: I've got a larger collection of her works I'd actually like to finish (especially since it's on The Blackout Book Club's reading list) but I'd settle for finishing this much shorter collection.

A Table by the Window by Hilary Manton Lodge: January makes me want to read books about food and February makes me want to read love stories, so this Christian romance about a restaurant should fit nicely in either category.

Wind, Sand and Stars by Antoine de Saint Exupery: I first tried reading this several Januaries ago, and now every January makes me think that maybe this will be the year I actually finish it.

An Episode of Sparrows by Rumer Godden: Valentine's Day makes me think of flowers, which turns my thoughts to spring and to gardens, so this year will be the year I finally get beyond the first few chapters of this book.

[ssaseaprince]

I swear anyone who says Hannibal and Will aren't canon just didn't watch the show. It's not implied, it's not hinted, it's not subtext. It's incredibly romantic and is explicitly said so. The moment and embrace they shared at the end of season 3 was so powerful to me. Just because they didn't kiss or say "hehe want to be my boyfriend?" like they're in some teen romcom doesn't mean they aren't a canonical pairing. They got together at the END of the show after it being stated several times that they love each other and can't live without each other and want each other more than anyone. Lines like wanting to run away together and hungering for each other and "is Hannibal in love with me" are, apparently, completely platonic in some people's eyes or just wishful thinking or, christ, queerbaiting (a point I hope no one has made because it's ridiculously stupid). I'm quite happy with the end of season 3, but I'd hope for a 4th season if only, so they can be a couple on screen and people can stop being dumb about the canon of their relationship

I am so sorry that I have taken forever to reply to this, I lowkey forgot that my inbox was a thing 😅

You are completely right. I want to call it a lack of media literacy, but I'm not sure that's the best phrase. As an autistic person, I completely understand struggling with subtext and needing to have things presented in a straightforward, blunt way. However, with Hannigram, you don't even need to rely solely on subtext. Like you pointed out, Will flat out says, "Is Hannibal in love with me?" And then you've got the entire cast, the showrunner, writer, producers, etc, all saying that they are canonically in love.

And because of that, I really struggle to give people the benefit of the doubt when they say that Hannigram isn't canon or that their relationship is "open to interpretation." Because if you were solely confused due to issues with understanding subtext, then you wouldn't get all up in arms about people pointing out that Hannigram IS CANON.

This honestly leads me to believe that the very vast majority of people who will fight tooth and nail to convince everyone that Hannibal and Will aren't in love is because of homophobia.

We are not used to seeing queer relationships in media. There is maybe a handful of movies and TV shows that revolve around queer relationships. So it is people's knee-jerk reaction to assume that every character is straight and that only heterosexual relationships are canon, and it's because of this bias that they will fight against all queer representation and only accept it when the characters are physically affectionate, and even then they will find reasons to claim it's not valid.

Cishet people are a lot like white people, and men, and basically every other majority, in the way that they feel the need to relate to every single main character, otherwise they can't enjoy the show/book/movie etc. Hannibal and Will have been confirmed as canon, in and out of the show. But these people will fight against it because, whether consciously or unconsciously, the second that their characters are confirmed as queer, they immediately can't relate to them and therefore can't enjoy the show.

They see queer people and queer relationships as so *other* that queer representation literally ruins it for them. Maybe this is an extreme analogy, but it's like watching a movie about humans, and then halfway through finding out that they're robots, and all of a sudden, these aren't people that you're familiar with, they are something other. The knowledge that a character is queer is genuinely so incomprehensible to them that they will do anything to deny it.

And I think that kind of thinking is the biggest problem. It's not always done with bad intention, and it's not always conscious, but it's there. You can see actors and actresses who do the same thing. They have such a visceral reaction to the idea that their character might be queer, that they immediately shut it down. Because if the character is queer, the character isn't relatable, and if the character isn't relatable somehow, the show isn't enjoyable.

By relatable, I don't just mean, "They're straight, and I'm straight." I mean that they genuinely see queer people as completely other from them, and they just cannot grasp the existence of queer relationships as actual relationships and not just vague ideas. Yes, they know that queer relationships are real, but they genuinely can not look at a queer relationship or a queer person and actually have any level of deeper empathy and understanding. They see queer relationships are something completely different then cishet relationship, so the second that a queer relationship becomes the focus, they disengage.

This all relates back to people refusing to acknowledge any kind of queer relationship as canon unless physical affection is apparent.

Obviously, not all straight people do this, but it's an issue that's a lot more prominent than what most people think. As soon as you start looking for it, you see it everywhere. I'm not saying these people hate queer people or don't want queer representation, but this kind of homophobia is just so widely accepted and normalized that it's a knee-jerk reaction, and unfortunately, it's so normalized that people don't even realize they have these biases that they need to get rid of.

Sorry this reply is so long and late coming! I appreciate the ask and love hearing your opinions ❤️

[gayleviticus]

spoilery thoughts after finishing Gideon the ninth (critical of certain aspects but I enjoyed it)

Gideon and harrows relationship is v clearly the best part and interesting but I feel like it could have been milked more. I would have read a whole seven book saga about these two going from hated rivals to lovers and this book gets it done in one! wtf!

the hints of worldbuilding are cool. I find it funny but also a bit odd that were introduced to the Goth house using necromancy and think ok this is what the setting is like and then it turns out actually that's just the Ninth... but everyone else is necromancers too. like vibe wise it's just a bit. it's like if in avatar everyone was a fire bender and then the fire nation was there as just guys who really love fire

there are too many bloody characters and I don't think they're sufficiently distinguished at all, or even their houses. by the end of it I could tell you off the top of my head the Second are soldiers, Eighth are priests... Fifth or something are Wardens? but I think my problems w interchangeability of characters would have been fixed if the House identities were clearer. and I guess that's also part of why 'everyone's a necromancer' felt like a weird worldbuilding choice, even when they did allude to certain niches among different houses like bones or spirits or siphoning, cus like, in another fantasy novel you would easily distinguish ur houses by picking radically different powers

the plot had interesting moments but it felt just awkward all around. I get the point is that Gideon is locked out of the loop etc but it really feels like the story lacks any kind of forward momentum, the protagonists kinda just stop doing anything after a couple challenge rooms and wait for the plot to progress of its own accord. the fact it sorta toys w murder mystery/horror but the characters are really not that interested in solving it also contributes to this sense that the actual plot is not very well structured and consists of Gideon wandering round talking to/eavesdropping on npcs to hear exposition and develop relationships. and I guess you can say 'well it's not really a mystery, it's just a story that happens to have murders' but I think that's part of the problem; if it was more of a straightforward murder mystery it would have a driving force it currently lacks

at the same time though, it's also not like this is a slow atmospheric read w little emphasis on plot. there is very much a plot but it feels like its so oriented around minute details about keys and different house members making deals that my eyes just glazed over. it felt like too much detail to comfortably just skim the gist of it, but not actually worth paying attention to the minute detail (as it might be if this were actually a murder mystery based around interpreting clues)

I feel like from the way ppl talk I was expecting this book to be absolutely chock-full of bible/theology references. which to be sure it does hav in significant ways (the Ruth quotation when Gideon dies, Canaan house, the whole resurrected God and stone in front of the tomb). but much much less than what I'd assumed from the way people talk about it, where I was kinda imagining a constant stream of characters w names like Ebenezer, Micaiah, and Mahershalalhashbaz and theological buzzwords. I was expecting jrpg levels of theological name dropping but w actual significance behind them

all in all an enjoyable book and I'm keen to start the second, but I'm not surprised it's Muir's first novel and I hope Harrow the Ninth has some more narrative momentum w a smaller cast

[ladyknightleyisundercover]

Hello! I love the way you write the Weasley dynamic, your family fics really are so lovely, so thank you for writing them! I'll read anything you write but I'd really love it if you were to write something about Arthur and Percy, post-war, like them reconciling? It's such an interesting relationship and I'd love to see your interpretation of it :)

Thank you so much, you’re very kind :) I hope this nonsense meets with your approval! [read on AO3]

“Who’sthat coming now?”

It’s sortof a rhetorical question: everyone they’re expecting for Sunday lunch hasalready arrived, barring Percy and Audrey. And, given that The Burrow hassecurity wards which prevent anyone who isn’t on a pre-approved list crossingthe boundary (courtesy of some family connections to the Auror Department), itcould only really be the two of them.

Well,three, technically. Audrey is carrying baby Molly, who is wrapped up in ahand-knitted blanket (courtesy of her namesake), and beams at them as she walksup the garden path. She looks the picture of maternal bliss, even more so whenshe’s implored to take a seat, no, honestly, right there, and would she like adrink? Something to snack on? Would she like to put her feet up, rest a while?Everyone else will look after her gorgeous daughter for her, it’s fine (clearlythe namesake wins this battle, taking baby Molly from her and immediatelysnuggling her into her arms with a long-practised sigh of contentment).

“I said, who’s that?” George repeats, undeterredby the lack of enthusiasm for his set up. “Is it Percy, or is it a packhorse?”

If hiswife’s load is simply the baby, Percy has: two enormous, overstuffed bags, outof the top of one is flowing several spare babygrows; a carrycot; two towels; achanging mat; a packet of nappies; three stuffed animals; two rattles; whatappears to be some kind of mobile, which he’s slung around his neck like it’s apiece of avant-garde jewellery; another handknitted blanket; a muslin clothover his shoulder, and Audrey’s handbag.

Red facedand sweating, he deposits all of this on the kitchen table. It takes a while,and his brothers watch in grave silence as he does it. When everything is linedup, he nods in satisfaction and turns back to them. “Ah, Harry!” he says,spotting him among the sea of gingers. “Just the man. Did you manage to getthat report to Kingsley on Friday?”

“You’ve…um…you’vegot…” Harry gestures to his own left shoulder, and Percy mirrors him.

“Ah, yes,”he says, the pink flush on his cheeks intensifying. “I was wondering where thatone had got to.” He removes the muslin cloth and sets it down on top of one ofthe overstuffed bags, which immediately topples over, spilling its entirecontents of baby paraphernalia all over the kitchen floor. There’s a cough, whichmight be a laugh, from Charlie, and Percy mutters something which just might bea curse word very quietly.

He flickshis wand at it, and everything flies back inside—neatly folded—and the bagrights itself. “So, Harry,” he says, dusting down his trousers. “That report?Only, the Minister wanted to be able to give a full and frank report to thePeruvian embassy by Tuesday, which will only be possible if—”

��I’msorry, are you planning on moving in?” Ron asks, staring at the pile now coveringthe kitchen table in horrified fascination.

“Of coursenot,” Percy says stiffly. “I just like to be prepared. As I was saying, by Tuesday,and then he wants to arrange a meeting with—”

“For what,the apocalypse?” asks George.

Percytakes a deep breath. “For any eventuality,” he says, teeth clearly gritted.“Now, the report must—”

“Yes, Igot it to him,” Harry says quickly. “Everything’s all sorted, don’t you worry. So…anyonesee the match yesterday? How ’bout them Tornados?!”

Whateveranyone might have thought about the Tornados is lost as one of the bags—the onethat hadn’t fallen on the floor—suddenly starts moving from side to side, withwhat sounds like muffled groaning coming from within. “Uh…guys…” says Charlie,who was closest. “Anyone checked on the Ghoul lately?”

“Bagsie Iget to use the highly trained Auror as a shield!” George says, pushing Ron infront of him.

“Oi, Harry’sone as well, you know!” he says indignantly.

“You’re onyour own there, mate,” says Harry, eying the bag—which is slowly moving itselfto the edge of the table—with some alarm.

“Yes, andbesides, I’m less scared of what Hermione’d do to me if I injured you in theline of duty than what Ginny’d do if I injured him in the line of duty,” explainsGeorge.

“That’s…prettyreasonable,” puts in Charlie, eying the two of them (and looking like he’sgetting ready to dive into the pantry if the bag does start heading in hisdirection).

Percy digsinside the bag, extracts what is apparently some musical, moving toy (“Who didthey get to do the singing, Auntie Muriel?” asks George) and switches it off. Hisbrothers silently watch as he stuffs it back inside the bag (along with threeextra babygrows and two books on raising a newborn which had to come out tomake room for it).

That done,he dusts off his hands, and turns back to Harry. “So. The Peruvian delegation. The Minister and I have discussedthis, and we agree that—”

“That’sit,” Bill says, finally getting to his feet. “We’re staging an intervention.”

“Excellentidea,” says Ron, and he and Charlie grab one of Percy’s arms each and push himinto the chair Bill has just vacated.

“Percy,old chap,” says Bill. “Look.” Hegestures to the small mountain of stuff Percy has placed on the table. “Really look at all of this.”

“Yes,”Percy says, with as much dignity as a man can muster when two of his brothersare pinning him down in a chair. “I see. There are one or two things there. However,as a father yourself, I’m sure you of all people understand that it isnecessary to always be prepared for any eventuality, especially when—”

“Get himup, lads,” Bill says, then gestures for Ron and Charlie to frogmarch him overto the window. “Look.”

Out in thegarden, the Weasley women are still sitting with Audrey and baby Molly. “Lookat my wife,” Bill continues. He has his back to George, but still manages tosense that he has opened his mouth at this. “Don’t. Now, on her lap you will see a child. Our child.” Fleurdoes, it is true, have a firm grip on Victoire, who is absolutely fascinated bythe new toy that is her baby cousin. “You will note that, by her feet, there isa bag.” This, too, is true. “A bag that is at least half the size of that onethere.”

“A third,I’d say,” Ron puts in.

“In thatbag,” Bill says, “there is one spare of everything our daughter wearing.”

“And Mr Flamey,”adds Charlie.

“Who?”asks George.

“Dragon,”says Charlie. “She was showing me, before you got here.”

“Ah.”

“And MrFlamey the stuffed dragon,” Bill allows. “Now, that is more than I would’vecarried around in my young, unwed days, to be sure. It is not, however, halfthe contents of our house. We have a toddler: she is capable of running veryfast when she wants to, usually into enormous messes. Molly, delightful as she is,cannot even sit up on her own accord. We are all here for Sunday lunch. Atmost, we will be here for four hours. Why is it, therefore, that you need tobring so much stuff that you could feasibly survive for six months on the moonwith no other human contact?”

Percy glares.“Each item has a specific purpose!”

“And theyare?”

“Would youlike me to go alphabetically, or strategically?”

They’reinterrupted, then, by the arrival of Arthur.

“Ah, helloboys,” he says, surveying the scene. “What’s going on here, then?” His cheerfultone is unchanging, but his sons start shifting around awkwardly anyway.

“We’restaging an intervention,” says George as Ron and Charlie quickly drop Percy’s arms.

“Anintervention! Excellent. Into what?” their father asks, smiling politely.

“This!”say at least four voices, gesturing at the kitchen table.

“Oh, Isee,” he says, affecting to have only just seen the enormous pile. “What isthis all for then?”

Percyturns puce. Harry makes himself recite the Aurors Code of Practise, backwards,to keep his face poker straight, but Percy’s brothers are not that kind, andlaughter rings out through the kitchen.

“Seriously, Perce,” says George. “Havesome faith in yourself. At most, you’d only get through three babygrows in anhour, and that’s if we have a repeat of The Incident.”

“What’sThe Incident?”

“The onewhere I was babysitting Vic when she was six months old, and I had to changeher, only there wasn’t any spare clothes I could find, so I had to wrap her in myshirt, but then—”

“I really don’tthink we need to hear this story again, especially when we’re going to beeating in about half an hour.”

“How come I haven’t heard this story?! I’m herfather!”

“Okay, butdid Audrey ask you to bring all of this?”

“No,really, what’s The Incident? I think I have a right to know”

“…becausewhen she came to Victoire’s birthday party a couple of weeks ago, I saw her—shehad a bag smaller than the one Fleur’s got now, and I don’t think—”

“TheIncident, guys!”

“Fatherhood,”Percy shouts, “is a very important job and I am going to do it right! And if that means beingoverprepared, then it means being overprepared! If I say we need all of this,we need all of this! And you can all…be quiet!”

Everyoneis immediately quiet. This allows for Audrey’s voice to drift through thewindow, talking about how happy and lucky she feels that, so far, everythinghas been so straightforward, and that Molly is such a good, easy baby.

Arthur looksat the dark circles under his son’s eyes. He sees his jumper, with itssuspicious stain on the left side. He recalls how, at work, Percy’s once plain,totally unadorned office now has photos of baby Molly on every possible surface.And he takes in the mountain of stuffthat is currently all over his kitchen table.

“Boys,” hesays, “go out there and ask your mother if she needs anything done for dinner. Ithink we must be nearly ready to think about serving up.” His tone is cheerfuland upbeat still, but there is a firmness to it which makes everyone obey, andthey shuffle out of the kitchen.

“Not you, Percy,” he adds quietly. “Come on,”he says, once they’re gone. He picks up two of the bags and tries not to winceat their weight. “Pick this lot up and follow me.” Even with his father’s help,Percy’s still staggering under all the items, but he dutifully follows hisfather round the side of the garden to his shed.

“Come on,”Arthur says, seeing Percy hesitate. He pushes open the door and gestures to himto follow him inside.

The shedhas always been Dad’s space, all of the Weasley children knew that almost frombirth. You did not go inside without express permission—and once you were inside,no matter how tempted you were, you did not touch anything. As far back as any of them could remember, every singleshelf was covered with incredibly tempting stuff—mostlymuggle items, a few of them useful, many of them not. From his prized possession(a working car battery) to the tiniest trinkets, everything had its place.

And it wasn’tjust Dad’s junk, either—genuinely useful things (the toilet plunger, forty-sixdifferent screwdrivers, instruction manuals for devices long broken, theChristmas decorations) were kept in there, but woe betide anyone who went ineven in the most genuine emergency to get something without permission. Theshed was overstuffed (magic, Percy allowed, probably helped here) and everysurface was always covered with something, but Dad could always lay his hands onthe most esoteric items in a heartbeat.

Today isno different, except for the fact that one shelf, on the far wall, iscompletely empty. In this always packed room, it stands out like a sore thumb. “Nowthen,” says Dad, “I’ve cleared a space.” He nods towards the empty shelf as thoughit’s perfectly normal, and not the first time in Percy’s life he’s seen the barewood.

“What for?”

“I assumeyou have doubles of everything at home?” Dad asks, gesturing towards Percy’s manybags.

He nods.

“Excellent,”Dad says, smiling. “So, what I suggest is that you leave everything here. Thatway, whenever you come here, you don’t have to worry about packing everythingup, you can just bring the baby and go. You don’t need to worry about bringing thekitchen sink, eh? All your bits and bobs already here, and a load of your mind,yes?”

“But…”

“Come on,look, I’ve cleared you a shelf! Let’s see, if we put that carrycot at the farend, then we can stack some of the smaller items inside of it. How does thatsound?”

“Thatsounds…good,” Percy says. He gives his father a tentative smile. “And…andmaybe just three changes of outfit will be enough to keep here. I’ll take therest back with me.”

“Bettermake it four, just to be on the safe side,” Dad says cheerfully.

They setto, getting everything stacked up on the shelf and leaving a small pile over bythe door for Percy to take back home with him. It’s the work of mere moments,and everything is neatly placed almost before he realises. The shelf is fullagain, only this time with baby things, and not hardware.

“Excellent,”Dad says, slapping him on the back. “All done. Now, d’you reckon we can go andchivvy the others into producing some food? I’m quite hungry after all that.”

“Okaythen,” Percy says. “Wait…Dad…the shelf…how did…?”

“Oh, Icleared it off when I say you coming,” says Dad. “I thought you might need aspace for little Molly’s stuff, so I got it ready for you. What was it yousaid? Being a good father is about being prepared, right?”

“Dad…”Percy says, sounding a little choked up. “You don’t need to take lessons from anyone on being a good father, least ofall me.”

“Who saidanything about any lessons?” Dad says mildly. “It’s just being practical. Andprepared.”

“Two keyDad skills,” Percy acknowledges.

“Well,yes,” says Arthur. “And ones you have in spades! Isn’t little Molly lucky?”

Percygrins. “She is,” he says. He steers his Dad towards the door. “Me, too.”